Soul of the Badger
by jazzy2may
Summary: Severus Snape and his mother had plans, ambitions, until a certain Sorting Hat interferes. Has there ever been a Dark Hufflepuff? Well, there is now. Warnings inside.
1. Ch1: The Beginning

Disclaimer: All rights and ownership belong to J.K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Arthur A. Levine Books (US), A Heyday/1492Pictures Production Co., Warner Brothers, & Universal Studios.

**Warnings: Possible M/M Content, some Star Trek stuff including Klingonese, No Like No Read**

Title: Soul of the Badger  
Author(s): Jazzy and Jazzy2may2

Betas: none currently, hope to get a beta or two eventually.

Rating: PG for now may change later

Pairing: Uncertain at the moment, still thinking it through. I am a SS/RL fan but I also love and adore LE/SS as well. Maybe I will make it a triumvirate. I don't know and can't say at this time. So right now, no, there are no pairings currently for this story. As they age they will pair off eventually.

**Genera: AU, Marauders Era Hogwarts, Humor, Angst, Possible M/M Romance, Possible F/M Romance**

Summary: Severus Snape and his mother had plans, ambitions, until a certain Sorting Hat interferes. Has there ever been a Dark Hufflepuff? Well, there is now. Warnings inside.

* * *

Soul of the Badger

Part One

In the beginning it was a cold and bleak day, as miserable as any other day. For severus it was an average day in Spinner's End. The rain came down in sheets. The smoke from the factory polluted the air and made it dismal.

Severus Snape was now eleven years old and he was going to be boarding the Hogwarts Express. He looked forward to escaping the refuse that was Spinner's End. He looked forward to starting a new life side by side with his best friend Lily Evans from two blocks down.

The young muggle-born witch and he had become the very best of friends during the past 4yrs.

They met each other on a warm summer day in the park close to Spinner's End. Severus had been hiding there in the scant foliage of bushes and wild flowers from his abusive father and escaping his mother's sharp tongue and piercing eyes. Severus had watched the two sisters in secret a few times before but this time he was witness to the younger sister's accidental magic. She was a sprite of a girl, full of joy and fun, laughing green eyes, and magic played off her as easily as breathing. Bursting forth from his hiding place in the bushes, Severus finally made their acquaintance and as usual due to his social awkwardness and unfortunate personality he insulted them however Lily had befriended him anyway, forgiving him immediately. How quickly the time passed and now here they were old enough now to board the train bound for Hogwarts.

Eileen Prince Snape, was a sour woman who had lost much of her pride along the years married to a drunken muggle lout. Life had been hard on her and Severus, with a husband that had gone from loving and decent to hard nosed, angry, and abusive in the twelve years since Tobias Snape had married her. He had grown to fear and hate his own son as well as the wife he professed to still love when he wasn't in a terrible temper and ill from drinking.

They were born with magic at their finger tips and singing in their blood. His mother taught him the ways of the wizarding world and their customs, taking pride in how easily Severus absorbed the knowledge and magic she showed to him. The Prince line was full of powerful wizards and that Severus would be just as powerful as his ancestors. He showed signs of brilliance and genius especially as he had manifested his magic before leaving the cradle. His mind had been ravenous for learning; no muggle school had been equipped to deal with someone as strange and hungry for knowledge as her son. She believed that her son would achieve greatness and do great things proving to the magic world that though his blood was tainted his magic was not.

He would do very well in either Slytherin, her own house, or her Mother's house, Ravenclaw.

She had ambitions more for her son then for herself. She was hoping Severus would see the opportunities before him and seize them with both hands to create a better life for himself than the one she had provided for him. She hoped he would remember her when the time came, and would ask her to join him by returning to the Wizarding world once he had his life set up and a shop ready for the two of them.

She had hopes they would open an apothecary shop together to call their own. A brewers delight, a heaven for potions master and assistant. She knew her son would be a master and herself his assistant she had some talent but no where near his. She would enjoy caring for the shop while her son brewed and would become renowned for his talents.

With a wave of her wand Severus' duffle bag, worn and used from when Tobias was an active soldier, was packed with shrunken books, potions ingredients, cauldrons, shoes and hand-me down rags from her own closet. Severus was lucky to be so thin and able to fit readily into her old school robes. Everything they owned was either from her childhood or from second hand shops, they had bargained for in Diagon alley and the poorer districts in the wizarding world.

Severus stood for a moment longer looking his home over carefully, memorizing its dilapidated slumping shape with peeling paint and dirty windows. He wanted to remember where he had come from and that he had no plans of returning to such a life after Hogwarts. He had plans for a real future; rich and glorious away from his Father, away from the muggle world and far, far, away from Spinners End.

He would miss his mother and he supposed on some level he would indeed miss this rabble of drafty crooked boards and cracked windows. He would not miss his father or the hatred in his eyes. He would not miss the beltings or the abusive vitriol that poured from his father's curled sneering lips his words like acid meant to melt Severus down to an inferior puddle of goo to stomp through, like a patch of mud. No he would not miss his father, not at all.

Severus hugged his frog. It was a handsome magical toad, large and warty, raised from spawn that Severus had caught and tamed and trained himself. He wished he could have had a cat or an owl but he supposed a Toad would just have to do until he could save up enough for an owl.

He was nervous to leave his mother behind. He felt guilty that he was allowed to escape this prison but not his mother. He didn't want to leaver her here to face his father day in and day out all alone.

His mother's black weary eyes fully focused on him, she did not smile, she only stood there meeting his eyes and she said, "Don't worry Sevvie. Just do well on your studies. Make a name for yourself in the Wizarding world then come home for me. I will be happy to help you in your potions shop some day. Do me proud son. Work hard and make the right connections and you will go far, so much farther then I ever have or ever will. I look forward to that day Sevvie."

She looked him up and down in his school robes, as if taking his measure then she corrected her self by telling him, "No, you are no longer Sevvie, you are no longer a baby but a young man, today you are Severus, taking his first step into adulthood and into a bright future. Don't let me down Son I am depending on you."

It was a heavy weight on his shoulders but he would willingly carry such a burden if it helped him to further his mother's and his own goals. He told himself to not forget Lily she would be there with him too. She will help you. She's your best friend. She wants to see you succeed as badly as mother does. He smiled his slight shy grin, hiding his crooked teethe behind thin lips and dark hair the same color as his eyes, black like coal or a raven's feather.

He was a mixture of both his mother's and father's features. Neither of them were much to look at. Plain in looks, hag like. However, if they had smiled or had a different personality they could have pulled off an exotic beauty. His nose was too large for his narrow face, a stubborn chin, wide dark eyes hidden under long fine silken hair that grew greasy much too quickly to be natural, it was an unfortunate trait of the Prince line. One Eileen had also suffered but for the grace of expensive hair products or luckily enough potions she brewed herself.

She had been sheltered in her home at Prince manor, pampered and loved, but held to strict protocol and decorum - the same standards to which she held Severus to. If she had been able to and had not alienated her parents in taking off with Tobias Snape she could have raised Severus in some luxuries but instead they had lived in poverty and worse. Lack of hygiene and hair products the least of their concerns most days in this muggle hell she had carved out for herself and her son.

A boy should never smell of flowers unless they had come in from the garden. His mother believed a man should smell nice but not feminine She believed that very firmly and would not permit Severus any leniency in this matter and so he had not been permitted such hair products, whether self brewed or brewed by his mother and sold to neighbors for barely a pence worth.

Though he did wish often that he'd been allowed the hair products anyway so he could have squeaked by with less harassment for his greasy locks. Unfortunately it just wasn't meant to be.

Severus was lanky, long and slender as his mother was; he seemed destined to grow tall and willowy if the mal nourishment didn't take hold and stunt his growth. On a man such slenderness was attractive but on a woman though, it was a very sad figure for a female. Eileen had suffered for her bone structure, sharp angular facial features, her too lean tall thin frame and tiny chest. School had been a cruelty all its own. She had run away from it, thrown it all away for a muggle man in royal army uniform.

It seemed the kind of romance in fairy tales or romance novels went on about, unfortunately being a witch, a true witch, with true power had brought her happy ending to a terrible life of heartache, physical and emotional pain. Pain she would not wish for Severus to suffer.

He had been a good man at the time. He hadn't been handsome exactly but there had been something striking about him. Something which she couldn't have denied, Tobias back then had confidence and charm in spades. It had felt like being struck by lightening when she had first met Tobias. Love at first sight. Back then, when she had first met that wonderfully handsome devil she never would have believed him capable of the cruelty he showed her and their son now days.

She hoped Severus would find an advantageous match in Slytherin or Ravenclaw. She wished him love but wanted better for her son then a love that as quickly as it had come upon her had died as quickly a death at her husband's rejection.

She counted on Severus's sharp mind to catch himself a fine wife, though he had a sharper tongue learned at his mother's knee and from his father's temper. A temper he was misfortunate enough to have inherited from both of his parents. But still she hoped and prayed he would find a partner to carry through life with, someone to give him a family, and a home free of fear and violence.

Coming back from her thoughts she asked, "Ready to go Severus?" she smiled briefly on her gifted son, her only child, a rare warm smile overflowing with pride that had an obvious affect.

Severus straightened his shoulders and stood more proudly. "I am mother."

"Good."

With a wave of her wand and the image affixed fully in her mind mother and son apparated with a crack of displaced air and energized power, swirling into the other space, stepping through from one place to the next, where they landed in their determined place, the platform 9 and ¾. At the train station students and parents apparated much as they had, or scurried hurriedly using muggle transport and their own two legs to enter the platform area.

The Hogwarts express had not changed one iota from when Eileen Snape, Eileen Prince back then, had been a firsty and was about to take her first ever ride on a train. She had been a shy girl back then, terrified but crafty and cunning otherwise she never would have been sorted into Slytherin. She'd had dreams back then, ambitions! Now all of her dreams and ambitions lived on in her son, and he far more then she, had the talent and power to make it come true, all of it.

"Be well son and do well. I have to go. I wish I could stay longer but Tobias has a schedule and I am to stick to it or else." She gave her son a quick peck on the forehead then quickly apparated away leaving her son behind and alone feeling adrift in a sea of anxiety, bumped into and harassed by other first years and upwards, all these kids and parents saying goodbye to one another or kids meeting up with new friends from school or teaming up with allies they had grown up with.

It seemed as if Severus was the only one alone on the platform. He hoped he hadn't missed Lily or that Lily hadn't changed her mind and wouldn't show up for the Hogwarts Train or hoped that Lily wasn't running late and would miss the train. He had wanted to ride the train with her. He hadn't wanted to be alone. He had wanted to be with his best friend. He had wanted to feel her joy and see her excitement. She was so full of thrilling emotions. She made him feel less like a wraith and more like a living breathing very real young man.

He wondered if this was what love was? And if so it was very different from what he felt for his mother. He wondered if this was the kind of love that declared itself and demanded marriage and if it was that kind of love; wasn't he far too young to be experiencing it?

He knew Lily didn't feel the same for him that he felt for her. She was his best friend. She called him her brother. Perhaps someday she would feel something more for him? The same things he feels for her, perhaps? If he had trusted in divination he would check the cards, stars, lifelines, tea leaves or even a crystal ball to find the answers to his questions in. However as young as Severus was, he was still far too practical, far too cynical, and did not believe in divination at all.

He did not think divination was worth a single thought over. Divination was a bunch of charlatan sleight of hand junk that only truly dull witted dunderheads or the truly naïve and foolish believed in, and Severus Snape was neither of those things.

Pensive he continued to wait for any sign of his friend's arrival. Gloom surrounding him like a fog in the early mornings. Suddenly his Toad, Maximus, or as Lily called him, Maxy, gave a loud trilling sound, almost a frog song, the kind they sang to attract a mate, but which was Maximus' call for Lily and for Severus' attention, as a strong soft girlish body slammed into him.

Said body was shouting joyfully. "SEVERUS! I found you! I found you!" Lily smiled widely, full of happiness.

There wasn't any guile at all in Lily. Her emotions, her expressions, her thoughts were always loud and clear. He knew she would not end up in Slytherin but he did hope she would at the very least go to Ravenclaw or the Gods forbid, Hufflepuff, but anywhere was far better than that appalling brawn over brain, glory seeking hounds known as Gryffindor. Lily was brave but she had a clever mind and Severus hoped it was her thirst of knowledge that won out over her appalling fearlessness.

The Evans' were an understanding and kind family. They had willingly opened their arms and hearts to their daughter's emerging magic and had welcomed Severus as well as supported his role as friend and guide to Lily in this new world that was solely theirs, Lily's and Severus', theirs alone. The Evans could not join their daughter in understanding or in growing of magic. They were muggles and had very little to zero magic ability within them. Lily's mother was very loving but she could be stern or even cold at times.

Mister Evans was a jolly man, a very laid back yet hard working man who loved his family more than anything in the world. He was careful of Severus, of Spinner's End folk, and cautious of magic, but that did not mean he didn't like or even trust the boy. He did. Mr. Evans liked and trusted Severus.

Petunia Evans though was a whole other matter altogether. She was mean, judgmental, all about how people see her and judge her. She was always calling Lily a freak and pushing Lily away from her. Hurting Lily's feelings on an almost daily basis, sending her in tears to the park where she would then cry on Severus' shoulder for hours until Severus thought of some game or other to cheer her up and bring her out of her sadness.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans smiled and hugged them both, making up for Severus' mother's swift departure. The Evans spent until the last minute with the two children making sure they had everything packed and they were aware to send them mail every week and that if anything happened they could rely on mama and papa Evans to take care of things. Lily had an Owl she had gotten from Aelops' Owlery, a snowy owl with large amber eyes.

The two first years, childhood best friends, boy and girl, held each other's hands neither of them willing to let go of the other as they embarked on their new journey and new life together. In Sev's hair road his large toad proudly and proprietarily, while his wand was in his hand ready in case of anything, Severus' other hand lay in hers, fingers intertwined, with her Owl in its cage in her other hand.

It seemed at first a dream coming true. Everything was going to be different. No more father to terrorize him or beat him or lock him out side the house in a fit of temper. He'd be treated as any wizard child would be and not be treated as odd, strange, or different. He truly believed he would be treated differently from the way he had been treated all of his life by his angry muggle father, muggle relatives, and by ignorant muggle children in his neighborhood or in his few years in muggle school before his mother took him out of school and turned teacher to him full time.

Those ignorant muggles had called him names, picking on him for no other reason than the mere fact that he had magic or that he was a little strange. Here in the wizarding world being strange was the norm. He didn't expect wizard children would bully him because he had greasy hair, dark looks, and carried himself in a way to minimize being noticed that meant hiding in plain sight, using shadows to cover him from ugly hateful gazes.

Lily smiled excitedly as they made their way onto the train, she tried to get Sev to loosen up and be less shadowy. She tried to reassure him that there was no need to hide here. Lily tried to bolster his confidence and reassure him that this wasn't Spinner's End and this train didn't have his father on it.

What she and Severus had not been expecting was for two loud brash boys to come upon them and much like their muggle counter parts they chose out of the two of them Severus to pick on. Severus would remember their names for all time as James Potter and Sirius Black. His arch-enemies and rivals.

They could plainly see something was not normal about Severus, that he seemed dark in a way they could not understand, even though one boy had come from a Dark home, all he could think of was it was obvious the boy was a dark wizard, especially when he was talking about being sorted into Slyerethin. Because Severus was talking about Slytherin house and Ravenclaw. But mainly they had taken offense to Severus because he spoke proudly and warmly of the reviled Slytherin house. The house was known for its dark wizards and most recent evil incarnate, Voldermorte.

When Severus would have taken them on alone his best friend reminded him tersely in Klingonese: "a warrior does not let a friend face danger alone"

"Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam" ("Yes, and today is a good day to die")

Lily stood up made comments about people who shouldn't interrupt other peoples conversations, Severus stood up to back his friend in case either of the two tried something on Lily. Together they managed to get the two Gryffindors-to-be, to leave them alone for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts but there were moments when the two boys would start making fun of Severus and even of Lily, which Severus and Maximus wouldn't stand for. But Lily held him back from actively throwing hexes and jinxes at the snide toe rags, Sirius Black and James Potter.

Severus would remember them. He would hold their names engraved on a list in his heart, where vengeance was planned, and would be served quite cold.

Revenge is a dish best served cold – Klingon Proverb.

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TBC

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Author Note: In honor of the Star Trek fan that I am and have made Severus Snape and Lily Evans into, they will quite often be quoting or speaking from the books listed below. ^_^

Okrand, Marc (1997). Klingon for the Galactic Traveler: The Klingon Way: A Warrior's Guide; and The Klingon Dictionary and other website like Wikipedia The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition

All Copyright of Pocket Books, Simon & Shuster, Paramount, StarTrek, and Gene Roddenberry.

Some general background about StarTrek: Star Trek was telecast on NBC in the United States from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969…. So I figure since both Lily and Sev are children of the 70's it is quite possible for them to be sci-fi fans, huge fans of star trek. I do not know when Star Trek found its way to England but for this story it came out about the time of Lily and Sev's childhood. Sev would sneak over to the Evans' house and watch StarTrek with Lily and her Dad. :D

Though Klingonese did not come into actual existence until 1979 and more dominantly in the 1990s, I am going to pretend it came along at the same time as the show.

**I LOVE ALTERNATE UNIVERSES and this story is all about the alternate universe. I can pretend things came along earlier or later then in our reality.**

AU baby, long live the AU. :D

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NEXT CHAPTER COMING VERY SOON

also in the works: A Blind Severus story, Part Two of A Slytherin's Worst Nightmare, and a Hufflepuff Draco Malfoy story.

Thank you for reading. sincerely, Jazzy and Jazzy2may2.


	2. Ch2: A Dark Hufflepuff?

Soul of the Badger

Chapter Two: A Slytherin HufflePuff – The First "Dark" HufflePuff.

The usual hustle and bustle befell the first years as they were gathered for the final step in their journey, as were the experienced years – returning students gathered for their journey back to school, in lines and in separate directions towards Hogwarts. The first years were to take the boats, second and up took carriages pulled by magical invisible beasts or by magic itself.

Hagrid, Professor MacGonogall, an obvious Gryffindor, and by her side was a rather round man of middle wizarding years, one who Severus recognized from his mother's description of the Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House, Horace Slughorn whom Eileen had told her son about. The man was a collector, a **connoisseur** of sorts. He collected people and favors. He was a snob of sorts. He liked to hob knob it with the rich and powerful. He only paid attention to those whom he believed to be worth his time. Those with a talent or power or money were key to Old Sluggy's connections.

"Old Sluggy likes to pretend he's an equal opportunities kind of Slytherin but even he has his short comings. If you don't have talent, you don't exist." His mother warned him. "Be careful of him but win him over to your talents. He may never like you personally, but he will do anything to further a truly talented student, just so he can tell others that he helped you. Never forget that once he's helped you, you'll owe him small gestures of friendship for life." She had instructed. "Show the man your gifts in potions Severus, and he will take you under his wing and show you the world of potions. He will make sure you go far, son."

Severus would do his best to get the Professor to notice his talent as his mother had told him to. He knew that with Sluggy Slughorn on his side his potions mastery as well as the best in apprenticeships was only a few short years away.

The Sorting Hat song:

End sorting hat song.

"Sirius Black"

Slytherin seemed to be waiting for their future brother only to lose their breath in shock as the Hat called out. "GRYFFINDOR"

After several more names were called, Lily Evans was then called forward to take the sorting hat upon her head. Lily was of course sorted into the Horrible and Brainless House of Gryffindor. Severus scowled and felt a crushing disappointment. He had hoped she would at the very least be sorted into Ravenclaw. She was far too clever for a thoughtless arrogant brainless house as Gryffindor.

More names, then. "Remus Lupin"

"GRYFFINDOR"

More names, then. "Lovegood "

"HUFFLEPUFF"

and then "Lovegood" again

"RAVENCLAW"

Then More names, then. "Peter Pettigrew"

"GRYFFINDOR"

More names, then. "James Potter"

"GRYFFINDOR"

Severus scowled, then glared hatefully. How dare those toe rags get into the same house as his sweet vibrant Lily Evans! It was horrifying. It was rotten luck. The damned hat had to be rigged somehow.

Then at long last his name was called. "Severus Snape"

Severus walked with dignity towards the stool with the hat that would sort him onto his destined path. He smirked knowingly. He knew he would be sorted into Slytherin. He had been raised and trained from birth to go into Slytherin, though Ravenclaw would be a happy second.

"ahhh, ahhh, you are a difficult one. Hmmnn. Let's see, let's see. You treasure your friendship and are loyal to a fault, brave even while terrified, a warm yet cold heart with ambitions both your own and your mothers but it is for your mother most of all and for young Miss Evans that keep you strong. You believe in justice though you wish for vengeance. Signs of justice and loyalty. You treasure your friends. You have many fine qualities and yet, though Slytherin house is where you seek it is not for you." Murmured the Hat.

Severus found himself sitting there in the great hall arguing mentally with the sorting hat letting it know how idiotic it was being; that there was absolutely no way he belonged anywhere other then in Slytherin, acceptable even possible Ravenclaw; but no other house would do!

What was this Sorting Hat getting to?

"A family true and loyal, love and understanding, the just minded, no other shall do!" insisted the Hat. "Trust me, I am never wrong. I know what's best. Your strongest characteristic is loyalty. Where do the loyal go?"

The hat had to be as mad as Dumbledore was rumored to be! It had to be toying with him. This couldn't be happening.

"Listen here sorting hat, I do not belong in…" and before he could finish that sentence the hat shouted out **"HUFFLEPUFF"**

The Hat tried to jump off his head and return to McGonagall but Severus jammed that hat down over his nose and ears growling, hissing.

"I don't fit in with Hufflepuff! I was raised to be in Slytherin! What about my thirst for knowledge? I should go to Ravenclaw. I am no Hufflepuff." He argued incensed.

McGonagall struggled with the surprisingly strong grip the child had on the Hat's rim. But her strength, that of an adult, overruled the furiously arguing child's grip. The Hat finally freed of the child's head gave a laugh and cried. "Trust me! HufflePuff, you've a Badger's soul, a true descendent of Helga herself, though your Badger self is far from the European stock."

Frustrated and horrified, he shot one last glare at the mad hat. He was terribly disappointed. None of his Mother's plans, or his own plans for that matter, had taken into account the perversity that Dumbledore would infuse into Hogwarts and into the Sorting Hat itself.

* * *

Life had never been fair for Severus Snape or for Eileen Prince; why should it start being fair now?

Life wasn't fair. That was the truth. Life gave you hardships and every now and then there was something to thank life for. The rare ice cream cone, the Toad he'd found as a Sprog and raised into Maximus and there was Lily. Lily would not abandon him. Lily made life worth living. She was a light in his dark and bleak existence. Fate had brought her to him probably for this moment, so he could take strength in the fact that she would never abandon him or think little of him for being a….

A….

A ….

A ….

He couldn't say it. He couldn't even think it.

It was enough to tear out his hair. But he refrained from doing so. He'd already humiliated himself enough for one day. He didn't want to look insane on top of being argumentative with a stupid hat.

He would overcome this obstacle as he had so many others in his life. Maybe there was something of a …a…a… still can't think it or say it, in his nature after all. One thing Severus Snape was not was a quitter. He would work hard and make his dreams come true. He would save himself and he would save his mother from that horrible life of theirs in Spinners End. He was not afraid of hard work or making his ambition take fruition.

Severus glared down at the badge that had taken form on his breast over his heart, the shape of a yellow and black shield with a proud yet seemingly sweet looking badger in the center of it, denoting his house. The badger house.

His pristine hand-me down black robes now had a stripe of yellow down the seems also indicating his house. Yellow and Black.

Hufflepuff colors.

Badger colors.

What was he going to tell his mother? How was he going to tell her that he was not in Slytherin? She would be so completely miserable, so completely devastated, with the news. Severus felt sick at having caused this newest disappointment for his mother. He couldn't tell her and yet, he could not keep this from her. He had to tell her.

He gagged for a second feeling his stale bread sandwich from the train trip come up a little. He forced it back down. He would not dare throw up, no matter how much he wished to. He would endure as he had endured such things before.

What was he going to do? Take the coward's way out and lie to her? No way! What kind of son would he be if he lived a lie? She deserved better from her son. He would not become his father. He would find the strength, somehow, to tell her the news.

Mum, you have a ….a…" he felt faint, "I can't even think it! How am I going to write it on parchment and tell her it?

He had to man up. He had to face his new house mates. Gathering what little dignity still remained in his spine he turned towards his new housemates and pseudo-family for the next seven years. He had to eventually face his mother but he didn't have to do so right this moment. Not while there was a table full of feast and new housemates taking his measure as he was theirs.

The table of Hufflepuff students watched him. They were most of them round and jolly, or average and good natured; they seemed like laid back sorts with easy smiles, and shy or nervous natures. Many of them seemed to take after Germanic or Norwegian wizard descendants.

Severus sighed. He knew he didn't belong to such a group of jovial sorts. He was dark, broody, macabre, scowling, tempestuous, smirky, sarcastic, even morbid and a little on the deranged side. He was too skinny, too sour, too sallow, too dark. He was a child of the night. He had insomnia and nightmares. He rarely slept or had any sort of joy and there had to be vampire somewhere in his lineage because the sun made his skin itch and he tried to avoid the sun as much as possible because of it.

They were all of them even the dark haired ones golden gods compared to Severus Snape, the dark freak from Spinners End.

And to top it all, he liked the dark arts and had a passion and gift for potions. There was no possible way he was going to fit in with Hufflepuffs.

Once he was finished taking their measure his attention went directly to the table full of feast. So much food, so much to drink and eat. What to start with? How would he even manage to eat all of it? He'd never seen so much food in his life, let alone eaten anything remotely this filling or sweet, succulent tender meats, puddings, pies, tarts, pumpkin juice, milk, and fresh clean water finished off the many foods and beverages available in the feast set out on the splendid and large table.

Severus had a deft hand at pocketing food and did so as his fellows dug in to their helpings. Carefully pilfering extra slices of meat and rolls and pocketing them in one of the many secret pockets in his mother's old school robe. He felt almost happy. He would store the food somewhere safe and preserve it for later when he could eat again.

* * *

He took a moment to gaze away from the food and from his self pitying thoughts to give Lily a look of worry; Lily, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table smiling at him holding up her thumbs in a gesture of support. He felt slightly better at that, and grinned back at her for a moment before taking his seat at the Badger table and his usual none smiling look.

Would she be all right in a house with those dunderheads in it? He fervently hoped so. As he finally took his seat at the Hufflepuff table and began pilfering the food in a sneaky, non verbal magic "notice me not" way. He almost jumped as he felt a hand touch his shoulder in what was actually a friendly gesture of welcome.

He blinked in shock. Who was touching him? Why were they touching him? Did they not know of the term personal space?

"Welcome Severus Snape!" a tall golden blonde young man greeted him warmly and placed his hand on his shoulder clasping it for a moment before letting go.

"Please don't touch me." He purred silkily, in that tone which Lily or any Snape would have recognized for the danger sign of immanent doom that it was.

"Oh, sure, no problem; I am your friendly Prefect, Gus Smythewick, as well as one of the welcoming committee. Welcome to Hufflepuff, Snape. We're pleased to have you with us!" He smiled brilliantly at him.

Severus shuddered as he witnessed white, white teeth, gleaming and sparkley, so white they were practically blinding. Who the hell had such teethe? Was it even natural? It couldn't possibly be natural; Perfect manners, Perfect looks, a veritable Hercules.

Severus suspected the nice act wasn't an act. Smythewick felt to Severus like some comic book hero, like Captain America, or Captain Awesome, or Thor, or whatever it was. Severus liked comic books but rarely could afford to buy them so his knowledge was rather erratic in the areas of comic books and their starring heroes.

Severus could only narrow his eyes and hope the older youth would leave him alone once the greeting was out of the way. Smythewick wasn't the only one or the last one to greet him to the House of …., Severus just couldn't think it. He was not a… well you know! He just wasn't one no matter what that scrap of old leather had said in sorting him.

Severus manfully survived every pat on the shoulder every smile and every greeting, answering each with a grunt and keeping his mouth full of food so he didn't have to say anything back to them. He pilfered food under their oblivious noses, sneaking little tid bits away into secret pockets inside of his robes, where he would eventually keep potions secreted away, while they talked to him or went back to conversing with others at the table. He managed to somehow keep down his meal and even enjoy it as well as a bite of dessert before his stomach finally protested and he listened to it.

* * *

Maximus croaked and hopped around the table taking his time to rudely eat from one person's plate or another. The greedy toad didn't seem to care for manners as he hopped, hopped, hopped over to the loud and grating Gryffindor table to make himself cozy in Lily Evan's flaming red and bronze hair.

In some lights Lily's hair really did look like a fire's blaze. It was a unique and beautiful color just like her eyes. A very rare and perfect green emerald, clear and pure, possibly inherited from some faerie being. Llly was one of a kind and even his toad was in love with her.

Severus glowered at his rude toad.

_Maximus, you ruddy toad! How dare you leave me to the mercy of these… of this table all alone? Traitor!_ Severus fumed silently.

_After all I've done for you. Raising you, feeding you, giving you a nice and cozy aquarium, my time and love, as well as keeping you hidden from my father who would have fried you up for frog legs or frog gumbo!_

"Maximus." He snarled, low and threatening. "Treacherous, rude, vain, ill mannered, glutton!"

The frog merely shook his smug head at his daddy and snuggled more thoroughly into Lily's warm hair. Lily giggled and petted Maximus.

"Oh Maxy, I love you too. But I think Severus would appreciate your company, don't you?"

Maximus chirruped, let fly his tongue to drag an irritating dragonfly into his wide mouth and chomped on it happily.

"I told you Lily, his name is Maximus. He was not named for a female product."

Lily snickered good natured at the joke they shared between them. "Of course he's not. He's Maxy with a why, not an aye."

Severus snorted disdainfully. 'Maximus, I don't want to lose you. We're about to make our way to the…" curl of his lip in a silent sneer, showing a small bit of fang, "to our new home for the school year."

The toad was as stubborn as its wizard and would not be budged from his nest in his Lily's hair. Severus glared eye to eye with his toad as he tried to grasp his toad and dig him out of Lily's hair. Lily winced as Maxy clung desperately to her hair, little amphibian hands and feet gripped flame hair, wiggling this way and that to keep Severus from dislodging him even with Lily's persistent cooing and delicate finger work the toad would not budge from his lady love.

With a huff and a sniff, Severus growled, "Fine, Maximus, you leave me no choice." Flick and swish. "Accio Maximus, my Toad Familiar."

The frog was forced from its place on Lily's head. The frog looked if possible very discombobulated as he scrambled for a hold of anything to keep him anchored to the human witch he loved even above his love of his wizard as the magic took hold of him and floated him from his nest of sweet smelling hair and into Severus' unforgiving grip.

"I did warn you." Chastised Severus. Hugging his toad firmly to his chest. He turned smartly on his heel and headed back to his table, leaving Gryffindor mouths agape. Severus Snape had just done what was basically a fifth year level spell.

The feast concluded he waved at Lily as she like he followed his year mates into a line following behind their prefects who were to show them the way around Hogwarts and to their rooms.

"Goodnight Sev, hope to have a class with you!"

He felt himself blush and nod and he found himself calling, "The same, me too Lily, Good night!"

* * *

Many of the other Hufflepuffs smiled at him grinning warmly accepting him openly as well as accepting his friendship with Lily.

Severus was glad for that. Before coming to Hogwarts his mother had also warned him of the rising tide of discontent in the wizarding world and the rise of the dark lord who was seeking the annihilation of half-bloods and mud-bloods.

She warned him that his friendship with Lily might cause danger and attention to himself in the Slytherin dorms but since he wasn't in Slytherin he now realized he didn't have to fear a possible breakup with Lily Evans.

But he did still have to be aware and be careful of any bigotry that might come his or Lily's way.

"She seems like a very nice girl, you have there, Sev." One of the other Hufflepuffs commented

Severus scowled saying coldly, "Lily is my friend, please refrain from calling me Sev. It's Severus or Snape, not Sev."

"Oh, okay sorry about that Severus." The boy grinned as if he knew a secret but just let it go as they walked to the dorms that would be their home for the next seven years.

Severus groaned inwardly thinking. _Seven years! How will I survive it? What if I don't have any classes with Lily? That would be dreadful. I don't know if I could handle that, being separated from her until holidays and summertime, it would just be so difficult to be in the same school and not see her except at meal times._

The two prefects the boy Gus and the girl Adelaide Godwin. Prefect Godwin had corn silk blonde hair. It was styled in a Norse type braid, coifed perfectly in fall colored flowers sprouting out from along the braid every so often as if the hair itself were a vine from a tree.

Severus again could not believe he was in the company of Hufflepuffs. They were so dotty and pleasant and, and happy! How was he ever going to fit in here?

Interrupting his thoughts a boy in his age group, a fellow first year, long blonde hair tied back in some strange thong with flowers, flowers? Seriously, flowers, on a boy? His mother would hardly approve. No Snape or Prince would. Severus sneered at him. But for whatever reason the Hufflepuff, he supposed the boy was an oblivious dunderhead as well as an addled one. Were those tie-dyed dress shirts under those robes? Oh good lords and ladies above! The kid had no sense and no style awareness. Beads wreathed his neck and wrists as well as bells at his ankles.

"Hi, I am Milo-Xylatou, yes, it is hyphenated and it's supposed to be a single name!" the boy continued to smile. He looked a little crazed. His eyes were the vivid green of the **peridot**, with just a slight hint of gold, an ideal gemstone color to go with that light summer robe in witch magazine. Milo's eyes held a mix of humor and strangely an unsettling amount of wisdom peeking outward staring Severus's obsidian eyes into gentle submission. A feeling of otherworldliness filled him as he continued to gaze into those light green and gold depths. Perhaps Milo-Xylatou was one of those that were said to be touched by the sight, or maybe he was just insane.

"Oh! And my last name is Lovegood! But please, please call me Milo or Milo-Xylatou, or Xylo, anything but Lovegood. It makes us sound like strangers, and we aren't going to be strangers, you and I, Severus, we are going to be fast friends, the best of friends! I am sure of it. We're going to be den brothers, and I really think we are going to become the best of friends!" he continued to insist.

"Maybe…" he mused reserving his right to say no, to this controversial friendship in the near future. Severus shifted his eyes left and right looking for an escape from the exuberant insane Milo-Xylatou Lovegood.

The kid seemed to sense Severus hesitance or rather his flight instincts and he grabbed on to Severu's wrist in a friendly grip which Severus tried to dislodge any number of ways, including knocking their joined hands into the door frames of any classroom that came into the vicinity.

Milo continued to blabber on and on to Severus trying to engage him in conversation. "My favorite subject is magical creatures, though I heard Professor Kettleburn is a bit dozy when it comes to creatures, so I don't know if we will learn as much as we should with the man constantly getting bits of himself eaten away after one disaster or another in Care of Magical Creatures."

The boy was a little taller then he and so strange. He had Severus curious as to know how this Milo-Xylatou Lovegood could be so sure of them becoming the "best" of friends.

"You'll see, we will," insisted Milo, "I had a dream about you, my surly friend. We're going to be great together! oh the things we will do! The adventures we will have." Exclaimed the lunatic with an eager grin and further sparkling peridot eyes. Severus tried very hard not to shiver in fear of this lunatic, he would not show fear, he would not!

Milo-Xylatou was so exuberant about the fact that they were going to be best of friends and have wonderful times to come together that he practically danced through the halls. Severus was trying hard to stay in the shadows and as far away from the strange puff as possible; hoping like crazy that no one would mistake him for a companion of Milo-Xylatou's.

Severus curled his lip rolled his eyes and heavily sighed but what could he expect from a bunch of Hufflepuffs? Or rather he was learning what he could expect from this strange boy named Milo-Xylatou Lovegood.

TBC


End file.
